What to Leave for the Buyers at Closing

So you listed your home for sale, accepted an offer and are now under contract. Congratulations! Believe it or not, your closing date is going to be here shortly. As the vendor, you likely agreed to correct a few inspection problems prior to closing. You might also have hired a professional cleaner to make the property spick-and-span for the new buyers. Now that that’s finished, it’s time to start thinking about the actual closing itself. Not sure what to leave for the buyers at closing? We can assist. Below, we have included a list of items that you should consider leaving (or doing to the house ) on closing day.

KEYS

First and foremost, make sure the keys are ready to go on closing day. While the buyers will likely have the home re-keyed eventually, they will still need all copies of the original keys to the home. Give your Realtor the keys on closing day and let him or her handle the hand-off.

A FOLDER OF ANY APPLIANCE WARRANTIES & MANUALS

Keep in mind that when buyers purchased the home, they also purchased all of the appliances inside. You should also leave a folder with any and all warranty information, so that the new residents can fix or replace broken items as soon as possible.

LIST OF VENDORS & SERVICE PROFESSIONALS

New residents may want to use the same people to service the home in order to keep the household running smoothly – at least, in the beginning.  If you feel like going the extra mile, you could also leave a list of any plumbers, electricians or other service professionals you’ve used to service the home on a regular basis.

WINDOW TREATMENTS, MIRRORS, LIGHT FIXTURES & OTHER FEATURES

This means window treatments (think: hardware, curtains, shutters and blinds), bathroom mirrors, shelving, door hardware, kitchen hardware and light fixtures.

REMOTE CONTROLS

Make sure to leave any and all necessary remote controls for the new owners. Label each controller with its corresponding item. Examples of remote controls that should be left for the buyers include any sort of control for ceiling fans, automatic shades, lights, TVs and other electronics that you plan to leave behind. 

A BOX OF EXTRA HARDWARE

Buyers can use the extra hardware to replace any damaged parts down the line. Examples of extra hardware you might have lying around, include kitchen knobs and pulls, screws and anchoring hardware, closet racks and rods, light bulbs that fit certain fixtures and doorknobs. 

INFORMATION FOR HOME AUTOMATION SYSTEM

If you plan to leave your Smart Home products for the new owners, make sure to leave directions and information on resetting the system. It may also be helpful to leave the contact information for the vendor or company that installed the system. 

TURN OFF THE LIGHTS (BUT LEAVE AC ON)

Come closing day, you’ll want to make sure all lights have been turned off inside and outside the property. We recommend leaving the AC on a low setting to keep the property from overheating inside.

POOL SUPPLIES & ACCESSORIES 

If your home has a pool, we recommend leaving  your pool supplies and accessories for the new owners. It might also be a good idea to leave directions and information about how the pool and spa work. At the very least, you should give the new owners contact information for your pool maintenance service professionals.

EXTRA PAINT

If the paint color matches any of the home’s interior or exterior walls, we recommend leaving the cans outside in the backyard or in the garage for the new owners. This can help them know the color of walls or use the paint for any touch-ups needed.